1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical program guide display control apparatus and an electrical program guide display control method for managing information of a multiplicity of broadcast programs and also information of programs recorded by a VTR (Video Tape Recorder) and then producing a display output of such managed information as a program table.
2. Description of the Related Art
Programs of television broadcasts and so forth are transmitted to users via space or through cable television (CATV) via cable.
A user then selects a desired program out of those of the transmission channels and views the selected program on a television receiver or records the same by a VTR. In such a case, it is generally customary that the user makes a selection of a desired program while reading a printed program table.
However, as seen in a cable television broadcasting system for example, the number of transmission channels amounts maximally to 150 or so, and it is not easy for the user to search for a desired program from a program table where programs of, e.g., 150 channels are listed.
For the purpose of realizing an easy search for a desired program, there is proposed a technique of inserting data of a program table of each channel in the vertical blanking interval of a video signal of a specific channel in such a manner as not to cause any disturbance to the television signal of the program. Meanwhile on the receiving side, the user displays the transmitted program table data on a television screen and, after searching for the channel, selects a desired program of the channel.
Such program table data is also termed an electrical program guide. The program information in this electrical program guide includes, for example, names of scheduled programs to be broadcast from receivable stations, and broadcast time slots corresponding to the programs respectively.
The user selects a desired program while watching the electrical program guide displayed on the screen, and then receives and views the selected broadcast program or reserves timed recording of the selected program.
It may naturally be considered that, relative to any video tape (tape cassette) where some broadcast programs have been recorded, the user wants to refer thereto, as an electrical program guide, with regard to the program information representing the names of the recorded programs and the recording order thereof.
To meet such requirement, there is proposed an apparatus wherein, on the VTR side for example, the information relative to the recorded program on the video tape is stored in a predetermined area on the magnetic tape, and later the area of such program information is reproduced, so that the program information recorded on the video tape is displayed.
However, the above function is an independent one which is additional for the VTR and is different from the aforementioned electrical program guide display function. For any user utilizing an AV system equipped with such electrical program guide display function for example, it is preferred that the functions be dealt with integrally, since the electrical program guide display function and the VTR-recorded program information display function are mutually identical in the point of displaying the information relative to the programs. For example, if the two program display functions are dealt with integrally as one electrical program guide, the user is enabled to refer more simply to the information relative to the entire programs.
In any of the electrical program guides known heretofore, display of an electrical program table is executed by using the entire display screen. In this case, when the functions furnished to serve as an electrical program guide are performed by command manipulation to carry out change of the displayed program information contents, retrieval thereof and various settings in accordance with the classified items of program information, the entire picture on the screen is changed in conformity to the content of such command and is therefore rendered quite different from the prior content displayed anterior thereto, hence raising a problem of inconvenience for the user. Such a problem becomes more conspicuous with advanced diversification of the information to be displayed as an electrical program guide or with expedited diversification of the functions.
As for control of various settings and so forth on an electrical program guide, it has been customary that first an individual button or cursor corresponding to the function to be controlled is displayed, and then a required manipulation is executed on the picture by the use of a remote controller or the like. In this case, the number of buttons to be displayed or the number of keys in a remote controller manipulated by the user is increased in accordance with advanced diversification of-the functions to consequently complicate the manipulation. In order to avoid such intricate manipulation, there may be contrived a technique of employing a common button for a plurality of functions. However, in this case also, some difficulties are existent in properly actuating the key to be manipulated if no consideration is given to the display format, whereby the user may be confused.